Self service kiosk which dispenses vouchers

Abstract

A coupon-dispensing kiosk for use at retail locations. The kiosk may, or may not, contain an Automated Teller Machine, ATM. The kiosk performs financial services, such as cashing checks. However, to avoid dispensing coins to customers, the kiosk prints coupons and dispenses them. The coupons will be redeemed by merchants associated with, or in close proximity to, the kiosk. The kiosk can be located, for example, at a shopping mall or local convenience store.

Description

The invention concerns a self-service kiosk which dispenses vouchers, or coupons, to settle a balance owed to a customer in connection with a transaction.The Inventors have identified a need for delivering fractional currency amounts to customers in certain situations. The invention achieves delivery of these amounts, but without using the fractional currency itself. The following discussion explains the need, and why it arises.Automated Teller Machines, ATMs, are in widespread use. One service which the ATM provides is to accept the deposit of bank checks from customers. The ATM may dispense currency to the customer, based on the check, depending upon the agreement existing between the customer and the owner of the ATM.However, if the ATM does dispense currency, the amount will probably not equal the full amount of the check, because the full amount may include fractional values which can only be covered by coins. For example, in the U.S., monetary amounts contain two parts: a "dol...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

A further object of the invention is to provide a self-service kiosk which resolves the problem of dispensing coins to customers.

In one embodiment, the checks bear an imprint such as "Not Valid for More than XXX Dollars," wherein "XXX" is a small number, such as five or ten dollars, to discourage potential thieves from breaking into the kiosk 3 and stealing the blank coupon-checks.

This approach presents the advantage of reducing risk to the merchants. That is, the merchants will see the kiosk initially as a novel apparatus, and will probably see no justification for paying for the kiosk. But if the cost to each merchant is based on whether the merchant utilizes the kiosk, then risk to the merchant is reduced, or eliminated.

None of these resolutions will accurately reproduce the fine detail contained in government currency produced by the intaglio process.

6. Continuous feeding can be accomplished by using fan-fold paper or roll paper. Continuous feed, and, specifically, continuous feed using roll paper, is preferable, for simplicity of the feeding mechanism. Continuous feeding commonly uses coupons which are printed on paper which contains holes for a tractor-feed mechanism. The tractor-feed mechanism (known in the art) controls the position of the checks during printing, and allows proper registration of the printed matter.

Problems solved by technology

However, if the ATM does dispense currency, the amount will probably not equal the full amount of the check, because the full amount may include fractional values which can only be covered by coins.

The ATMs could dispense coins, but that approach imposes significant cost on the owner of the ATM, in terms of (1) the monetary costs of purchasing and maintaining the coin-dispensing mechanism, and also (2) the space required to store the coin-dispensing mechanism.

Many ATMs are located in retail environments, where space is costly.

Even though these people lack accounts, they must still cash checks, such as payroll checks and government checks.

However, visiting the drawee-bank often requires travelling a long distance.

But, as stated above, the people under consideration do not maintain bank accounts.

Therefore, people lacking bank accounts must travel long distances to cash checks.

The fractional amounts cannot be credited to an account for such people, and coin-dispensing mechanisms for settling the fractional amounts are not a preferred option.

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